Monstera deliciosa

Discussion in 'Araceae' started by Bluewing, Apr 8, 2008.

  1. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Ok, I just bought this plant which came in a 4" pot. It's about a foot tall with lots of healthy leaves.
    So far, I have kept it in bright indirect light and it's gets watered when dry, about once a week, or so.
    It's be been behaving so far and putting out more new leaves. I just wanted to know if this IS the correct care?

    It will be needing a soil change soon. It's in peat moss at the moment..

    Thank you!
     
  2. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    If it has good draining soil, that should be right. 2 of mine get quite a lot of sun, but bright inderect light should be fine, but I would imagine that it will go searching for light...
    Others may have a more in depth response.

    Ed
     
  3. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    it'll be okay in the peat for a little bit - not too long though!! if it's putting up new growth with that lighting, that's good. i'd keep it there if it continues with the same growth after you repot it, if not, then something brighter/a little full sun (morning).
     
  4. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Ed, Your right, the leaves are bending some to get more light, but it's small enough to keep it where it is on an end table for now until there can be some re-arranging. It does get turned though.

    Joclyn,

    Yes, I will repot it, but there is no real big hurry, especially when it's doing so well, and it's fast draining too. Some people look down on pure peat as a potting medium, but a women I know has had her Christmas cactus in the stuff for years and it couldn't look more healthier!

    Thank you both!
     
  5. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    You'll also want to eventually give it something to climb, say a totem or something. They will naturally go up and up and up.
     
  6. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    You should consider repotting in a larger pot as soon as possible. Personally, I'd go 12 to 24 inches because the plant is going to GROW!

    Monstera deliciosa has several forms and can grow to roughly 30 inches, perhaps a bit more depending on the variation. The internet sites that tell you they grow 6 foot leaves have done no research on the plant! It won't get that big. The ones we commonly grow in the United States are still considered rare in nature, but have been produced in such mass quantities as tissue cultured plants in the United States it is very common. There are other variations which stay much smaller but are somewhat rare in personal collections.

    I've seen the plant grow to at least fifty feet up the side of a tree. In the Homestead area south of Miami you can find quite a few trees with the plant growing up the trunk and out on the limbs. You can find photos on the internet of tall trees in Hawaii totally covered with the plant to the top. So it is a climber. And it does like bright light but will burn in full sunlight.

    The plant will eventually produce an edible fruit if well grown. We get several spathes and spadices each year and once the fruit turns yellow it is ready to eat. It is commonly eaten all over southern Mexico and Central America despite the cries of many websites that it is a "deadly poison". However, as soon as it ripens and turns yellow eat it quickly or it will spoil. The taste is like a mixture of strawberry and pineapple.

    As for soil, make sure the soil you mix is very porous. Monstera deliciosa (deliciosa came from the word "delicious") needs very fast draining soil that won't stay muddy. Personally, we water it very often, especially in the summer. The more you water, the faster it will grow. But it is also drought resistant and can go months with no water, although the plant won't look very good! So don't try to let it go dry!

    Mix a soil using a moisture control soil mix and add a lot of orchid bark with charcoal and gravel. I know some people don't like peat moss and Perlite, but I do! I normally mix about 30 or 40% soil and equal portions of orchid bark, peat and Perlite to top off the mix. If you don't like peat then you need to find some sort of compost that will cause the soil to retain moisture. That mix will drain quickly but stay damp. This species grows along the banks of streams and rivers in the wild so don't be afraid to give it water! But it does not grow in the water.

    If you click on my website link below and click on the plants in the collection link you can find a more detailed page on the species.
     
  7. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Lorax and Steve,

    Thanks for all the added information. I was hesitant of getting this plant, although I liked it, because I know it can grow large, but for $4.00 for a (4" pot) I had to have it! I's like to try and keep it as compact as long as I can (if that's possible, so a pole of some sorts will help, then I can just keep it trimmed down not to exceed the pole and flop over.

    Yes, I'll definitely check out the link!
    I like peat moss too, it drains well and if you have enough air circulation, it dries well too, within a week sometimes.
    I have read that if you limit this plants water and amount of light, it will grow much slower and not take over the whole room, or ceiling as fast. If that's true, that's what I want to do. Maybe a little bit more light though.

    Will this plant push send up more individual little plants from the rootball that will eventually fill the pot up?


    Thanks again!
     
  8. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    After a while it may; that's happening to the one in the hallway where I'm currently living.
     
  9. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Lorax is right on that, once it gets big it may put out some pups. But you have awhile to wait. The part about limited light and water slowing the growth is correct. I've tried it and it does just that. A good totem will help keep it looking good. You can find 42 inch ones and if possible that would be a good choice. But you will need a big pot!
     
  10. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Good, I love pups. I think I can deal with a 42" pole too. The new pot of soil will be coming soon...
     
  11. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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  12. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the link, but, I already have soooo many pots in the cellar. Stacks and stacks of different sizes, probably over a hundred or so (mostly clay) some plastic ones.
    I think I'll go up one pot size for now for a slower grow>) Too big a pot and I'm flirting with root rot. I like to have just enough soil to cover the root ball and not much more, maybe an inch all the way around it and then move up an inch larger as the plant grows.
    I hope I can keep up because it sounds like this grows fast once it gets going.
     
  13. dogseadepression

    dogseadepression Active Member

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    Hi my name is Wyatt Reinhart, I too have a Monstera delicosa in a 4" pot, it has a root in a lower leaf axil, I am going to turn an old garage into a greenhouse and will try and grow it there in the summer. I live in zone 6 in Pesotum, IL (U.S.) I do hope it grows big,.
     
  14. ianedwards

    ianedwards Active Member

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    Worth mentioning that it drops roots down to the ground, about 1 cm diameter, there are several to the left of the tree in this photo. Adds to the tropical look. Also, at least here in Sydney, pieces of stem with a leaf or two that break off can just be pushed into the ground and they grow like weeds.
     

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  15. trikus

    trikus Active Member

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    Nice big monster there Ian , I remember seeing the Brisbane Town Hall covered when I first came up .. all been removed since , but it sure looked good . I have been eating the fruit the last few weeks . One way of getting more cover when a mature plant has gone real high up a tree , is to severe the main trunk [ not the tree , the Monstera ]. It will sprout just below the cut . You can do this a few times , especially if the main trunk has lots of roots and is well established on the tree . I have several bits of stem I am planting on the steep bank along the road in front of my property . There are powerlines above and I am restricted with what I can plant .
     

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